A Singing Family Ritual

The females were brilliant sopranos and the men a mixture of tenors and baritones but I wasn’t allowed to sing.After a meal together they would gather and sing, mostly Welsh folk songs and a few old pre-war songs but I wasn’t allowed to sing.

“Keep quiet Valerie.” They told me, “you can’t sing.”

I was a complete disappointment to them.

It was when I was at Secondary Modern School when the music teacher decided to form a school choir. It was a new school and hadn’t been open very long. Finished just after WW2 had started, it was commandeered by the US forces and it wasn’t until war finished that it could be put to its original use and after a good renovation it was filled with the 11+ scholars

So there we were, a new school with no choir. The music teacher declared that everyone had to audition and he would choose those he thought best.

I didn’t want to audition, after all, I couldn’t sing.

But I had to sing. A couple of days later a list was pinned to the notice board, I didn’t even bother to look.

It was later my friends came up and hugged me and congratulated me. “You are in the choir.” I couldn’t believe it. They took me to the list and pointed out my name, almost the top of the list.

“Mr Shesby must have it wrong, I can’t sing.” I shook my head. I went straight to the music room to speak with Mr Shesby.I think I skipped all the way home.

“I’m in the choir Mum.” I yelled.

“Don’t be daft, you can’t sing.”

“Mr Shesby says I can.”

“Then Mr Shesby must be tone deaf, some music teacher he is.”

“I think he is right Mum, he says I am a natural contralto.”

“Contralto? We don’t have contraltos in our family.”

I grinned. “You do now.” I was so happy, now I could sing.

At the future family gatherings I sang, Mr Shesby had shown me how to adapt my voice to sing with the sopranos and I sung my heart out.